The events of the Olympic Games

The events of the Olympic Games that took place in Olympia in the ancient years were the predecessors of the modern games and events as we know them.


The festival began with a religious procession, then ceremonial oath-swearing by athletes and officials in front of Zeus' statue. Athletes swore they had trained properly and would compete fairly, while the judges swore that they would not be biased. Here, two athletes are seen washing as part of their preparation for the events. the events day two

The second day of the games was devoted to chariot racing (for teams of two or four horses), horse racing, and the pentathlon. In this event, athletes (or pentathletes) threw the discus and javelin, wrestled, ran races, and competed at the long jump. It was a demanding competition to find the greatest all-round athlete.

Day three

On the third day, there was a sacrifice of a hundred oxen, the thighs of which were burned on the great mound of ashes in front of the temple of Zeus. There would be boys' contests in running, wrestling, and boxing. For religious reasons, the third day of the games always took place when the moon was full.

Day four

Day four was taken up with men's foot races, wrestling, boxing, a race in armor, and the pankration. This bronze statue is of a boxer, whose face is battered by his many fights in sporting festivals. Instead of the gloves used today, leather thongs were tightly bound around a boxer's hands and wrists.


The final day

The Olympics ended with a prize-giving. The prizes, awarded by judges from Elis (the polis in charge of Olympia), were wreaths of wild olives. There was also a victors' banquet of meat from oxen sacrificed on the third day.

Games of the Olympics 

The pankration (meaning "all force") was a combat sport—a mixture of boxing and wrestling—in which everything was allowed except biting and gouging. One contestant, Arrachion, was strangled while breaking
his opponent’s toe. At the moment of Arrachion’s death, his opponent gave in from the pain in his foot. Arrachion was then declared the winner, and his dead body was crowned with an olive wreath.


The most exciting event was the chariot race. It was fast and dangerous, as up to 40 chariots, each pulled by four horses, hurtled around the track. The owners of the horses and chariots also received the glory of victory. The rich Athenian, Alcibiades, boasted, "I entered seven chariots for the chariot race, a larger number
than any private individual before, took first, second, and fourth place, and did everything in a grand style."

If you visit Katakolon and head towards Olympia, you will have the chance to see some of these amazing findigns that depict the events and games at the Museum of Olympia.

The Olympic Festival in Ancient Olympia

 While every town in ancient Greece had its own special festivals, there were also four great all-Greek sports festivals. The most important was the festival of Zeus, held every four years in ancient Olympia in southern Greece and open to all freeborn Greek males. Thousands of men and boys from all over the Greek world gathered here in a temporary encampment to take part and watch. To allow Greeks to travel safely to Olympia, all wars were put on hold until the games were over.

The Olympic Games in Ancient Olympia

The Olympic games, first held in 776 b.c.e., were part of a religious festival in honor of Zeus, the king of the gods. His temple in Olympia held a gold-covered statue of him. It was 43 ft (13 m) high. This was one of the Seven Wonder of 98 ft (30 m) in circumference, made of ash left from thousands of sacrifices made to Zeus.


The stadium was 633 ft (193 m) long. Up to 45,000 Greek men and boys would watch each race. On the south side, there was a platform for judges and officials. This is the entrance to the stadium, or running track, in Olympia. The whole length was originally roofed over—athletes would walk down a dark tunnel before emerging into bright sunlight.


The Olympic festival was much more than a sports and religious event. The games provided a common dating system and helped develop a shared identity between different poleis. Olympia was also a place for exchanging ideas. Writers would read their latest works to large crowds, ambassadors came to negotiate treaties, artists to seek commissions, and merchants to trade.

Archeologists have discovered some of the original equipment used by athletes in the games. This bronze discus, dating from the 6th century b.c.e, was thrown by an athlete called Exoidas. He was so proud of his victory that he dedicated the discus to Castor and Pollux, twin sons of Zeus, and left it in their temple

Victors had statues of themselves put up at Olympia and in their home cities, such as this statue of a victorious charioteer. Winning was all that mattered. The poet Pindar described the homecoming of unsuccessful wrestlers: "When they meet their mothers, they have no sweet laughter around them. In back streets out of their enemies' way they cower; disaster has bitten them."